Top Gun: Maverick 'Ruined The Whole Movie Industry' Says Sopranos Star

Judging by the film's take of nearly $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office, the 2022 Tom Cruise blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" has a massive share of fans — but a star of the classic TV series "The Sopranos" clearly isn't one of them. Robert Iler, who played A.J. Soprano, railed on "Top Gun: Maverick" during his "Not Today, Pal" podcast (via YMH) with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played A.J.'s older sister, Meadow.

"I think 'Top Gun [Maverick]' ruined the whole movie industry. I think it ruined everything," he exclaimed on the podcast. "It'll save [the movie industry] for four or five years because people are like, 'Oh, this is it!' It's like eating f***ing McDonald's or eating f***ing trash food. And then, all of a sudden, people are gonna turn around in four years and go, 'Why do I feel bad?' Because you're watching garbage f***ing movies."

During his diatribe, Iler discussed how he was incensed by "Top Gun: Maverick" being embraced by the Academy Awards. The film earned six Oscar nominations, including a nod for best picture, and won a statuette for best sound.

"If somebody said, 'Go watch this movie,' I'd go, 'That movie was fine,'" Iler told Sigler. "When you're saying, 'This s*** is up for an Oscar for best picture,' 'I'm like, 'Yo, this s*** is going to be incredible.' It sucked."

Throughout the segment, Jamie-Lynn Sigler clearly disagreed with Robert Iler's brutal assessment of "Top Gun: Maverick," but that didn't stop him from further criticizing the film.

Iler mocked Tom Cruise's acting and took an indirect shot at the star and producer, who was adamant about releasing the film in theaters, holding it for two years until the COVID-19 pandemic let up. And while Sigler is among those who feel we all owe Cruise thanks for saving the movie industry, Iler was having nothing of it.

"Five years from now, people are gonna go, 'Oh my God, we said that this should be f***ing best movie ever because we were f***ing coming out of COVID in a fog ... It's fine, but then to say, 'Oscar, best movie,' putting it in a category like '[The] Godfather'? A shame! It ruined the entire movie industry. That's it. I don't want to watch movies anymore. 'Top Gun [Maverick]' made me hate movies. Garbage. Absolute f***ing garbage."

At the very least, Iler seemed to love the fighter jet scenes. "The last hour was f***ing jets zooming in and out," Iler exclaimed. "That s*** was f***ing dope."

Iler has largely stepped back from screen acting after the 6th and final season of "The Sopranos" in 2007, making only a guest appearance on one episode of the NBC crime drama "Law & Order" in 2009.